Midwives
by The Needless Lobsters
Summary: When Tony and Ziva are stuck in a snowstorm with a pregnant woman, how will they survive until help comes? One-shot. I couldn't think of a better title - sorry if it sucks!


**Hey, readers! Here's a one-shot for you! I can't exactly remember when I thought of this idea, but I remember discussing it with somebody about how it could be written. All I remember is that I had this idea and have been writing this oneshot for over a month, because I had no idea what to write for the ending. And don't worry, I am still writing my other fanfics. This was just one that's been bugging me for a while. Oh, and thank you to my BFF Mukta for proof-reading this fic and giving me feedback!  
>Anyways, enjoy!<strong>

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><p>"Push, Maya, push!"<p>

Tony winced as the woman squeezed his hand harder, crushing it whilst trying to withstand the pain. "Keep going, Maya. You're doing great!"

"Shut. Up," Maya ground through her teeth. Tony clicked his mouth shut with an audible noise.

Ziva took a deep breath. "Ok, one more push now, Maya."

Maya cried in pain as she pushed again. Tony winced again.

"Ow…"

* * *

><p><em>Earlier that day…<em>

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs pulled up in front of the house. "Right, out, all of you." All three agents that accompanied him climbed out of the car as he did so himself, each one of them wrapping their coats tighter around themselves as they stepped into the harsh December winds.

"This is the place the killer was last seen?" Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo asked.

Special Agent Ziva David scanned the area. "There are a lot of ways that the killer could escape," she pointed out.

"Or he could be just hiding in the victim's house," Special Agent Timothy McGee added. He pointed over to a large Victorian-looking house that seemed quite out of place compared to the rest of the houses on the street.

"Ziva, DiNozzo, you search the house. McGee and I will search the surroundings," Gibbs directed before walking off with McGee towards a forest just behind them.

"Are you sure it is safe?" Ziva asked as she looked up. The clouds were a dark grey, looking like they could release rain or hail any minute.

"We'll be fine, Ziva," Gibbs sighed before walking on with McGee.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and shrugged before they walked up to the house and stood on either side of the front door, weapons drawn. Ziva nodded, and Tony stepped back before kicking the door down. Ziva frowned as she looked around the inside of the house.

The walls were painted a soft cream, and the floors were a dark wood. Along the walls were pictures of the dead Petty Officer and his family, and along the corridor stood tables with vases filled with flowers on them. But that wasn't what struck Ziva as odd.

What struck her as off was the fact that the hallway had only been cleaned recently, if the smell of bleach was anything to go by. She voiced her thought to Tony.

"These flowers have recently been watered too," he added. He pointed at the moist soil in the flower vase. "See?"

"There must be someone in the house…" Ziva muttered.

"You check downstairs, I'll check upstairs," Tony suggested. Ziva nodded and walked towards the first room in the hallway, her gun drawn, as Tony headed upstairs. She walked around the ground floor of the house, clearing every room.

"Clear!" she yelled up the stairs when she had finally finished. There was nobody in the house. When she didn't hear a call back she became worried. "Tony?"

Tony appeared at the top of the staircase. "Uh, Ziva? I found something."

Ziva frowned before walking upstairs and following Tony into what seemed to be one of the rooms. As they neared the room, Ziva heard a pained scream. She froze.

"What the…"

Tony pulled Ziva into the room. "Ziva, meet Maya."

Ziva looked at a woman sitting on the bed, pillows surrounding her and her comforter held tightly in her hands. She had curly red hair, which looked very untidy to Ziva, and was… pregnant? Ziva's eyes widened as she noticed a wet patch on the bed behind the woman.

"Is she…?" Ziva asked, not willing to continue the question.

Tony nodded. "Uh-huh. She's in labour."

Maya looked up at Ziva. "Hi," she said breathlessly.

"Why are you not in the hospital?" Ziva asked, sitting beside Maya on the bed.

"Justin was supposed to come for me," Maya said quietly. "He said he was going to pop down to the store and grab us something to make for dinner. That's when my waters broke. He said he'd be back as soon as possible, but he never came." Tears welled in her eyes. "I was too afraid that if I called the cops, they'd say that Justin had done something wrong, as they usually do. I didn't even think that something had happened to him."

"Do know what happened to him?" Ziva asked.

"Special Agent DiNozzo told me he'd been attacked and killed on his way home." Maya shivered. "I cannot believe he is gone." She winced as she felt another contraction, and groaned.

"Maya's been sitting in pain since the Petty Officer was killed 13 hours ago," Tony informed Ziva. "That means she's way too far along to take to the hospital. Even if we took her, she could…"

"Give birth in the car – I know." Ziva sighed. "What can we do?"

Tony thought about it. "We'd have to do it here, wouldn't we?"

Ziva frowned. "Do what?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at her.

Ziva made an 'o' shape with her mouth as she realized what he meant. "Oh, that."

Tony snorted. "And you say I'm the stupid one."

"Because you are," Ziva sighed. She pulled out her cell phone. "We should call Gibbs and the paramedics first, though."

Tony nodded. "Good idea. I'll call Gibbs, you call the paramedics."

Ziva nodded.

* * *

><p>Tony walked back into the room, a confused and worried look on his face. Maya was still sitting on the bed, but she was now sitting cross-legged and doing breathing exercises to help her through the contractions. Ziva was by the window. Tony walked over and joined her.<p>

"The paramedics on their way?" he asked.

"Yes, but I turned on the television and found that there is a huge accident on the way here. There is no way the paramedics can get through in time." She pointed outside. "Plus, it has started snowing. It is not safe to drive in this blizzard." She turned to Tony. "What about Gibbs and McGee?"

"McGee fell into a ditch. They're waiting for paramedics, so they can't come straight away. If they're stuck out in the snow like this, it could be dangerous."

Ziva nodded. "How did McGee fall into a ditch?"

"Icy path. And he pulled Gibbs back from falling into the ditch. Gibbs still managed to fall in though, but he's only a little scratched up."

"Ah."

Tony nodded. "I've told them to see if they can make their way to the house, so they should be on their way. They'll take quite long if McGee is injured badly, though."

Ziva bit her lip. "We are on our own now, aren't we?"

Tony nodded solemnly. "How the heck do you deliver a damn baby, anyway?" Another thought crossed his mind. "Maya doesn't know we'll be delivering the baby, does she?"

"It is best if she doesn't. Nobody would like to be stuck in a house with you as a midwife."

Tony glared at Ziva. "Actually, I'd make a fabulous midwife."

Ziva snorted. "Of course you would."

Tony thought about it. "Maybe we could research how to deliver a baby online?"

"They would have these kinds of things online?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Would it not be easier to just call the midwife for advice?"

Tony's shoulders dropped. Why hadn't he thought of that before? "That's a good idea. We just need to know her number now."

"It's on the fridge!" Maya called out from her position on the bed. "Her name's Jolie!" Ziva turned to Tony, who was standing right behind her.

"Well?"

Tony frowned. "Well, what?"

"Get the number off the fridge!"

* * *

><p>Tony sat on the bed, trying to comfort Maya as she went through another contraction. He winced when she grabbed his hand and gripped it.<p>

"Ow… ow… ow…" Tony muttered as she crushed his hand. Ziva walked into the room, phone between her ear and her shoulder, carrying a bunch of supplies.

"Yes… ok… alright…" she said into the phone as she put the supplies on the bed.

"Ah!" Tony yelled as his hand was crushed even further.

"Shhh! I am on the phone!" Ziva glared at him before listening to what the midwife said.

Tony whimpered as he felt one of his bones start to crack under the pressure.

"Ok… thank you… goodbye." Ziva put down the phone. "Ok, these are the supplies that the midwife told me to get."

Tony pulled his hand from Maya's grip and looked through what Ziva had brought. "Towels, towels, and more towels." He looked up at Ziva. "What, no epidurals or gas and air?"

"Do not be ridiculous," Ziva scolded. "If I needed those, I would have sent you running to the hospital to get them."

"In the snow?"

"Yes, in the snow. A baby about to be born is more of a concern than your health at this moment, Tony." Ziva handed Tony a stress ball.

Tony frowned. "What is this for?"

"It is to reduce the risk of you losing a hand."

Tony chuckled. "Thanks." He handed the stress ball to Maya. "Here, use this."

Maya grabbed the ball off him. Tony smiled and walked back over to Ziva.

"This should be simple," he muttered. A second later, he felt something hit his head. "Ow!" He turned to see Maya glaring at him.

"That stress ball sucks."

Ziva burst out laughing at the shocked and saddened look on Tony's face.

"Look on the bright side – you will not have to see the baby actually coming out."

Tony went a little green. "Yeah…"

Ziva sighed. "Anyway, the midwife says that she is on her way. She does not live far from here, so she will run the whole way in the snow."

Tony looked outside the window. "I just hope she gets here soon. It's turning into a real blizzard out there."

Ziva nodded solemnly. "Yes, it is." She sighed.

_How would they make it through this?_

* * *

><p>"Push, Maya, push!"<p>

Ziva had been told by the midwife how to check, and she'd found that Maya was finally 10cm dilated. The look of dread on Tony's face had been hilarious to Ziva. Maya hadn't even seen the funny side of it.

Tony winced as the woman squeezed his hand harder, crushing it whilst trying to withstand the pain. "Keep going, Maya. You're doing great!"

"Shut. Up," Maya ground through her teeth. Tony clicked his mouth shut with an audible noise.

Ziva took a deep breath. "Ok, give me another push now, Maya." Right now, she thought that Tony had the better side of the bargain – he didn't have to look at so much blood… or up a woman's –

Maya cried in pain as she pushed again.

_Wait, wouldn't Tony like to look up here?_ Ziva asked herself mentally. She quickly shook the thought from her mind. _No, no he wouldn't._

Tony winced as Maya crushed his hand again. "Ow…"

Ziva smiled. "I think I can see the head! A few more pushes and it should be over, Maya!"

Maya panted. "Thank… god!"

Tony rubbed her hand reassuringly, although he was definitely sure he couldn't feel his. "You're doing really well, Maya."

Maya turned to glare at the agent. "Special Agent DiNozzo, have you ever been in a delivery room?" Maya asked.

Tony shook his head, dreading where the conversation was going.

"Then don't talk whist I'm trying to push my baby out. It hurts, and I need to concentrate. If you don't keep your mouth shut, I _will_ ask Ziva if you can catch the baby instead when it comes out, covered in blood."

Tony paled. "I'm good thanks."

Maya screamed as she gave another push. "Oh my god!"

Ziva smiled. "He or she is crowning!"

Tony was literally writhing in pain beside Maya as she gripped his hand tightly. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW! Maya!"

"SHUT UP!" She pushed one more time, and Tony sighed with relief when he heard the cries of a baby.

"Oh, thank god." He removed his hand from Maya's and sat on the floor, gently caressing it.

Ziva held up the baby, safely placing it on Maya's chest. "Here you go."

Maya stroked the baby's head. "It's so beautiful."

Tony looked up over the edge of the bed at the baby. "Really?"

Maya glared at him. "Yes, really." She frowned. "The cord is still attached, though."

Ziva nodded. "We are not meant to cut it."

"Ah."

There was a loud knock on the door downstairs.

Tony jumped up from the floor. "I'll get it. It's probably the midwife or Gibbs… or both… hopefully…"

"Just go and get the door," Ziva sighed.

Tony nodded and ran out of the room and down the stairs.

Ziva joined Maya on the bed. She looked over at the baby that was swaddled in blankets currently being cradled in Maya's arms. Its little blue eyes were currently staring up at its mother, and tufts of red hair – just like its mother's – poked out from beneath the blanket. Maya smiled down at the baby.

"It's a boy, right?" she asked.

Ziva looked up from where she had been observing the little boy. "Yes, it is."

Maya smiled. "I'm going to call him Justin Anthony."

Ziva frowned. "Justin Anthony?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah. Justin, after his father, and Anthony…" Maya sighed. "I want to remember you guys every time I hear his name." She smiled at Ziva. "Like a thank you."

Ziva smiled. "It is alright, Maya." She stroked the baby's head. "He is beautiful."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, he is."

"Ziva! Gibbs is here!" Tony called from downstairs.

Ziva sighed and got off the bed. "Well, I have a briefing to get to." She smiled at Maya. "I will see you later."

Maya nodded.

As Ziva took one step out of the room, someone calling her name held her back. She turned to see Maya looking up at her from the bed. "Yes, Maya?"

Maya looked a little nervous. "Do you have a family?"

Ziva smiled.

* * *

><p>Tony looked up when Ziva finally appeared on the stairs. He smiled. "Finally! McGee and Gibbs are on the couch in the living room, and the midwife has just got here so I'm making her some coffee."<p>

Ziva bounded to a stop beside him. "That is good."

Tony frowned. "What were you two talking about up there, anyway?"

Ziva turned her head to look at Tony. "Not much."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "No much as in…"

Ziva smirked. "Maya asked if I had a family."

Tony's smile faltered a little. "Really?"

Ziva nodded. "Yes, she did."

Tony's head turned to face Ziva's. "Well, have you? I mean, what was your answer?"

Ziva smiled a little as she remembered what Maya had said to her.

"_Never take your family for granted. Appreciate what you have, and it will give you so much more in return," Maya told Ziva._

_Ziva frowned. "And if I don't?"_

_Maya smiled sadly. "Ziva, I have no family left. My father disowned me, my mother was killed… the only person I have left is my sister, and we don't even speak any more. I can't help thinking that if I'd even tried to get along better with my family, my life would've been better." She looked Ziva in the eye. "I have regrets, Ziva. I don't want you to have any."_

_Ziva nodded._

_Maya smiled fully. "Besides, you seem like the type to start a family. If you just waited for the right guy to come along, you'd be perfect!"_

_Ziva laughed. "But, Maya, I do not have any family."_

"_Family aren't just related to you, Ziva."_

_Ziva thought about it. Well, when Maya put it that way…_

"Ziva? What was your answer?"

Ziva looked at Tony. "My answer… was yes."

"Yes?" Tony frowned, confused. Unless she had family that she hadn't told him about, she didn't have any family left that could be considered family. "Where are they?"

Ziva's smile grew as she pecked Tony on the cheek. "They are right here." She walked into the living room as if nothing had happened.

Tony slowly moved his hand to his cheek. _Had she just… No, scratch that – I'm her family._ He smiled.

Family mattered.

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><p><strong>Review! I want to hear your thoughts!<strong>


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